All posts by Emmanuel Freeman

Mark Schlicher (left), operates a camera jib during the filming of Voices of War, a documentary about life at Travellers Rest Plantation during the Civil War. PAC House Productions at Tennessee State University produced the 20-minute documentary that will debut Nov. 23 at the museum. (courtesy photo)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – A short 10 miles from the steps of Tennessee State University stands a living museum that pays tribute to one of the bloodiest battles to take place during the Civil War.

Travellers Rest, a plantation and now a museum located at Harding Place and Interstate 65, saw some of the fiercest fighting during the two-day Battle of Nashville, where approximately 6,000 Confederate soldiers were killed, captured or considered missing in action. The battle decimated the southern forces in Nashville and was literally fought on the front lawn of the plantation.

Today, students from TSU’s PAC House Productions are bringing that history back to life with the documentary, Voices of War.

The Department of Communications student-led production company helped write, direct and produce the 20-minute documentary for the historic landmark’s new exhibit, The Battle of Nashville: History Unfolds at Travellers Rest, which debuts Nov. 22 at the museum.

According to Melissa Richie, director and editor of Voices of War and advisor to PAC House Productions, the project began a year and a half ago when she and Dr. Donald Page, professor of Communications, where asked to participate in creating media for the historic landmark’s new exhibit. After countless hours of collaboration with Travellers Rest on writing the script, pre-production began last spring with filming this fall. Now in its final phase, the documentary is ready for debut at the museum.

“Of all the colleges and universities in middle Tennessee, the Board of Directors commissioned the students from PAC House Productions at Tennessee State to produce this documentary,” said Richie, who also serves as assistant professor of Mass Communications at the University. “That really says a lot about the capabilities we have and the quality of work our students produce. This short documentary will rival anything you might see at the Smithsonian or any other Civil War museum.”

The documentary, filmed over five days at the Travellers Rest Plantation, cast more than 30 Civil war re-enactors, including men, women, children and horses sporting period-correct costumes, and depicts life on the plantation during the Battle of Nashville.

According to MC Potts, producer of the documentary, the hard part was the coordination of “all the moving parts.”

“It was very stressful and made for some extremely long days,” said Potts, a senior from Columbus, Ohio majoring in Theater and Communications. “The filming began the end of October, which is a very busy time of year at the plantation, and for the re-enactment community. All the students on the production team worked hard putting this together and we are very proud of the final product.”

Besides the production crew, others lending their talents to the documentary include Tennessee Governor, Bill Haslam, who provides the video epilogue, and Maj. Gen. Terry “Max” Haston, Adjutant General of the Tennessee National Guard, who portrays Andrew Johnson. Tennessee National Guard Assistant Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Robert Harris, portrays Isham Harris who was the Governor of Tennessee from 1857 until 1862, and Col. (ret.) Randy Harris, public affairs director for the Tennessee National Guard, who lends his voice for character narration for the documentary.

(As seen on Fox 17 morning News)

PAC House production members that worked on the documentary included Micah Wickre and Chris Garner, directors of photography; Jonathan Starks and Justin Dixon, assistants of photography; assistant directors Jasmine Scarber and Ariana Heslup; special effects editing by Tervell Smith; crew members Sean Jenkins and Thema Dial; set photographer and crew member JaQuita Stewart; and actors Carrington Edwards, Tyree Taylor and Porshia Edwards.

Travellers Rest is the oldest house open to the public in Nashville. Built in 1799, it was home to several generations of the Overton family. In December 1864 it served as the headquarters for the Confederate Army under Gen. John Bell Hood. Covering nearly 1,050 acres, some of the heaviest fighting took place on the second day of the Battle of Nashville at Peach Orchard Hill on the plantation grounds. Today the plantation is a living piece of American history depicting life before and after the Civil War.

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

The Tennessee State University Drum Line performed recently Nov. 9 at the TSU football game in Hale Stadium, and is among several other major university percussion groups that will present exhibition performances at this year’s Marching Percussion Festival in Indianapolis. (photo by John Cross, TSU media Relations)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The Tennessee State University Drum Line is among several other major university percussion groups that will present exhibition performances at this year’s Marching Percussion Festival in Indianapolis, Nov. 13-16.

In addition to taking part in all of these events, TSU, only the third HBCU drum line to be invited to PASIC in it 38-year existence, will participate in the group’s first-ever drum line battle, featuring Ball State University, the University of Michigan, Indiana University, Lamar University, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of North Alabama.

“Being invited to present an exhibition performance for the Persuasive Arts Society International Convention is indeed an honor,” said Dr. Sean Daniels, assistant Band Director and Percussion Area Leader. “Participating on a global stage brings positive attention to our students as well as the institution”

According to Daniels, with more than 6,000 participating in PASIC each year, percussion artists present and perform in areas including drum set, marching, keyboard, symphonic, timpani, music technology and new music, among others.

In one-on-one competition, TSU will go against the University of Cincinnati in the Drum Line Battle, while in the College Snares, senior Music major Steven Phillips (Solo Snare Drum), will represent TSU against representatives from Southern Arkansas University, University of Texas at Austin, Missouri Western State University and Troy University.

In College Key Board, Malcolm Jackson, junior Music Education major (Solo Marimba), will be the face of the Aristocrat of Bands Drum Line against those from the University of South Carolina, Mississippi State University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Lamar University and UT Martin.

Derrick Greene, junior Music Education major (Solo Timpani), will perform in exhibition in the College Timpani.

“I am excited about this event and the amount of knowledge our students will gain from attending this year’s PASIC convention. I am confident that our students will cherish this experience for many years to come,” Daniels added.

PASIC, a music service organization based in Indianapolis, promotes percussion education, research performance and appreciation throughout the world. The organization is considered the central source for information and networking for percussionists and drummers of all ages.

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Assistant professor of Mass Communications, Melissa Richie, has been chosen as a National Association of Television Program Executives Faculty Fellowship recipient for the January 2014 NATPE Marketplace and Conference.

The conference, which takes place Jan. 25-29 in Miami, provides selected college and university media faculty with complete access to sessions and activities of the annual NATPE Market and Conference, and exposes the educational community to current television issues and practices, and fosters improved communication and cooperation between educators and the industry.

“I am honored to be able to attend this conference and meet one-on-one with television executives and members of the industry,” said Richie. “This is something that energizes you, and keeps you up-to-date on what is going on in the industry. I look forward to being able to bring back a tremendous amount of useful information that I can share with our faculty and staff on any emerging trends.”

Richie has been teaching video production courses at the University since 2008. She came to Tennessee State University from the Walt Disney World Company in Orlando, Fla., where she spent nearly 10 years producing internal communication videos throughout the Disney Company as well as working with the development and production of the weekly news program, Studio News, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. She also worked as a freelance video editor for a variety of video projects, commercials, animation, and a children’s music education project for Warner Brothers Publications.

She has been a postproduction video editor for 12 years. She was the editor for a documentary project called Stephen Burrows World, which screened in New York City at the Fashion Institute of Technology theatre. Her experience also includes directing and editing her own short films for the festival circuit.

Celebrating more than 50 years of service to the ever-evolving global television industry, NATPE continues to redefine itself and the services it provides to meet the needs of its members and the industry. NATPE conducts an annual conference that attracts executives from around the world for sessions featuring leaders from all facets of the global telecommunications industry, along with hundreds of exhibiting companies.

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The Director of the Tennessee State University Honors Program has another job title to add to her already building resume. Dr. Coreen Jackson can now add Vice President and President of the National Association of African American Honors Programs.

Jackson assumed the new roles of the NAAAHP when she was appointed as vice president for 2013-2014 and president-elect for 2014-2015 during the annual conference held Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla.

“I am extremely proud and grateful for the vision the group of Honors Directors from 20 Historically Black and Predominantly Black Colleges and Universities had more than 22 years ago, as they met at Morehouse College in Atlanta, to discuss plans for a national organization of honors programs designed to address the needs of honors education for African Americans,” Jackson told the audience of more than 200 honors scholars, honors directors, faculty and staff.

Jackson echoed the recent remarks made by Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover’s during the president’s inauguration address in which she acknowledged the TSU Honors Program for giving her roots and wings. Jackson explained that honors colleges and programs are laying the strong roots of excellence, while the NAAAHP can aid scholars in the honors program by helping them expand their wings.

“These early visionaries saw the awesome potential and possibilities of what we could accomplish through giving our Honors scholars ‘roots and wings.’ Roots to lay a sound academic foundation of excellence in research, scholarship, leadership and service, and wings to soar beyond our imagination to impact communities, the nation and the global marketplace,” Jackson said.

Jackson, a native of Jamaica, is a veteran professor of 19 years, holding several national offices including chair of the Multi-Cultural Research Division of the Broadcast Education Association.

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU Sports Information) – After being a nominee for an NAACP award in 2012, Tennessee State University’s Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Services, will once again be involved in the awards program, only this time as a member of this year’s nominating committee.

Dr. Johnnie Smith

Dr. Johnnie Smith, who works closely with TSU’s student-athletes and their academic development, will be a part of the NAACP’s awards to honor great achievements in many areas.

“I am humbly appreciative of this prestigious honor and grateful to the NAACP Image Award Executive Board for inviting me to participate and share my expertise,” said Smith of her selection.

Nominating committee and sub-committees are comprised of individuals within the entertainment industry such as studio and network executives, actors, artists, managers, agents, publicists, journalist, literary agents and others, as well as NAACP board members, executives and staff.

Smith will participate as a member of the nominating committee in the Instructional Literary category. As a member of the committee, Smith’s will read a number of book selections to determine the finalists in the category.

In 2012, Smith was honored by NAACP as a nominee for the Instructional Literary category for her book “Succeed Indeed featuring Academic Boot Camp.” With her achievements in academics, Smith believes her success will allow current student-athletes to achieve even more at Tennessee State and beyond.

“By being a part of this committee, it will allow me to inspire student-athletes to excel in the classroom and on the field so that they may reach an outstanding level in their respective careers,” said Dr. Smith.

The NAACP Image Awards is the nation’s premier multi-cultural awards show. The event celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts, as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors.

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

(Editor’s note: the following is an op-ed written by Dr. Michael Benson, President, Eastern Kentucky University, on the occasion of the Inauguration of Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover Oct. 25. The article is reposted from the Huffington Post: College)

Dr. Michael T. Benson is the President of Eastern Kentucky University.

In my twenty years of working in public higher education, I have attended countless graduation and presidential inauguration ceremonies. With these events have come scores of speeches, presentations, and tributes — some of which have been incredibly inspiring and memorable. None I have ever heard, however, was as good or moving as the one recently delivered at Tennessee State University by its new president.

Tennessee State is a historically black institution with a proud tradition and rich history and its eighth president, Glenda Baskin Glover, is a remarkable woman with sterling credentials. She is only one of two African American women in the country to have this list of credentials: CPA, Ph.D., and J.D. But in addition to these stellar bona fides, she is a visionary leader who will undoubtedly do great things at her alma mater, Tennessee State. She is, by the way, the first female alumna to be president of TSU.

President Glover began her remarks talking about “roots and wings.” Acknowledging her parents and her family’s commitment to giving her an appreciation for the past and a love of her own ancestry (her roots), she also attributed to them an ability to instill in her a belief that she could accomplish anything through hard work and determination (her wings). It was this combination of roots and wings which has allowed her to achieve what she has. In turn, she has endeavored to instill in her students throughout her own career in higher education and appreciation for the past while living in the present with a belief that anything is possible.

I came away incredibly impressed with Dr. Glover and this simple, yet profound, philosophy. Far too often we are consumed in higher education with numbers and cuts to our budgets and other issues and crises that we may lose sight of why we even exist. Our principal and fundamental responsibility is to our students. Full stop.

Without students, none of us would have employment or would enjoy the privilege of working each and every day on campuses surrounded by committed staff and accomplished faculty while doing something we love to do. And to quote President Glover, “Roots and wings are the greatest gift a university can give its students.”

Dr. Glover’s soaring speech last Friday reminded me of what an incredibly powerful tool education is in the lives of each and every individual. It is, truly, the great equalizer. It has — more than any other thing in today’s world — the ability to transform lives, impact generations, and provide solutions to the seemingly intractable problems we face today.

Roots and wings — these three words capture the inherent power of education to positively impact the lives of each of us.

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The usual long lines in financial aid and admissions during registration could be a thing of the past if students and parents follow a new plan by the Office of Academic Affairs.

iRegister Campaign, an early registration initiative, is aimed to ensure that enough classes and faculty are available as needed, students get the needed assistance to pay their fees or schedule payment on time, as well as ensure that parents and students are adequately assisted in getting their financial aid requests processed in a timely manner.

A kickoff rally, with music, free food, prizes and special incentives for those completing registration early, is set for the start of the spring registration on Monday, Nov. 11 in the Student Center.

“This campaign is designed to get the majority of our students to take advantage of the regular registration period prior to the start of class each semester,” said Dr. Mark Hardy, vice president for Academic Affairs. “Students typically wait until just before the start of class each semester to register.”

He said students create this lateness sometimes because they do not have the funds to complete their registration, while others wait to take advantage of spaces later created by registered students who have been purged or dropped from classes because of non-payment of fees.

“This gives them the advantage of getting their choice of course time and instructor they want,” the Vice President said, adding that the iRegister Campaign is designed to mitigate this practice.

Rully Dean, a junior Cardio-Respiratory Therapy major from St. Louis, likes the new plan.

“I think it is a good idea,” said Dean, a member of the Student Board of Governors, who said she has always registered early. “I have never been in a long line during registration except for once and briefly for a verification issue, but many students wait until the day before class starts to register. That creates problems.”

According to Dr. Hardy, the long lines for the spring registration will be eliminated if a “significant number” of students register and confirm their registration before leaving for the holiday break.

“This way we will know the exact number of sections that will be required and thereby know the number of regular and adjunct faculty needed. This will significantly improve our ability to appropriately budget for our course offerings,” Hardy explained.

He said department chairs will monitor classes during the registration period, and in the event a class is filled, another section of that class will be added.

“Once students have selected classes after being properly advised in the department, they will be encouraged to pay their fees and confirm registration,” Hardy added.

As an incentive, Hardy said the first 200 students who confirm registration will receive a $10 iTunes gift card and a lapel sticker visible to other students indicating that the wearer has iRegistered.

“Hopefully students will begin to do this naturally resulting in more and more students completing the registration process in a timely manner,” Dr. Hardy said.

“This will really be very helpful, because the long lines are just not necessary sometime,” Dean added.

The iRegister Campaign will run through the regular spring registration period from Nov. 11 to Jan. 15, 2014. For more information, call (615) 963-5301 or go to http://www.tnstate.edu/academic_affairs/.

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University’s College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences has received approval from the Tennessee Board of Regents to begin offering a concentration in Biotechnology within the Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Sciences.

“Biotechnology is a field with vast potential for crop improvement that can achieve resistance to drought, disease and pests,” said Dr. Chandra Reddy, dean of the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences. “This field and this improvement are necessary to achieve worldwide food security.”

The new concentration will provide hands-on training and first-rate knowledge to students in what, according to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, is one of the job fields with the most demand for employment.

“This concentration will help train our students in the modern field of biotechnology using the latest gene sequencers and other state-of-the-art equipment,” Reddy added. “Our goal at TSU is to train our students in these modern agricultural technologies so that they find gainful employment and become future leaders in these high-demand fields.”

A concentration in Agricultural Biotechnology can lead to a variety of challenging careers, including Biomedical Engineering, Epidemiology, Forensic DNA Analysis, Microbiology, and many more.

To help accommodate this and other new programs in high-demand scientific fields, the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences has been focused on strategic expansion.

“To make sure that our students get the best training, we have been hiring first-class geneticists, equipping our labs with modern equipment, and constructing a 25,000 sq. ft., 8-million dollar Agricultural Biotechnology Building which will be ready along with the new concentration in January 2014,” Reddy said. “We are quite excited about the future of agricultural biotechnology at TSU.”

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Capt. Jason Simmons and Staff Sgt. Clinton Tips update anti-virus software for Air Force units to assist in the prevention of cyberspace hackers at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. Tennessee State University was recently awarded a grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory to study the adoption of a cloud-computing model for soldiers equipped with smartphones and their effects on cybersecurity. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – A team of researchers at Tennessee State University has received a multimillion dollar grant to study the development, discovery and integration of warfighting technologies to support air, space and cyberspace forces with the Department of Defense.

The U. S. Air Force Research Laboratory awarded the College of Engineering a multiyear grant worth nearly $2 million to study power sources for air and space vehicles, and to study how to intelligently adapt communications and networks to provide friendly forces unfettered and reliable communications during joint forces operations. During the five-year term of the grant, five graduate and 10 undergraduate students will work side-by-side faculty members in their research efforts.

“The College of Engineering continues to compete in this highly competitive field of advanced research that supports the mission of the Air Force Research Laboratory,” said Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, dean of the College. “For more than a decade, we have conducted research in advanced sensors for military surveillance, aircraft electronics (avionics), and product reliability.”

The $1.93 million funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory, which comes from the, Materials and Sensors Directorates, will be used to fund five separate projects.

The one Materials project will focus on lithium Ion batteries used to power aerospace platforms, such as the F-35 Lightning II jet fighter, satellites and remotely piloted vehicles, with researchers developing analytical models for behavior, performance, reliability and cost of the batteries. The research team includes Drs. Hargrove, Landon Onyebueke and Lizhi Ouyang.

Three Sensors projects will include research in communication in congested electromagnetic environments; layered sensing exploitation and fusion in contested environments; and cross layers decision-making and fusion models for automated sensor exploitation in layered sensing. A fourth project will cover cyber security and will look at how to adopt a cloud-computing model needed for soldiers equipped with smartphones to enhance mission outcomes.

According to Hargrove, the funding supports faculty and students in research activities, and partners the College of Engineering with Clarkson Aerospace, a minority-owned business, and United Technologies Corporation.

“We are targeting our research activities relevant to key strategic initiatives advocated by the National Academy of Engineering, and we want to collaborate with local industry to advance these technologies that will benefit the consumer and military within the next decade,” Hargrove added.

The College of Engineering has been awarded multiple grants from the Department of Defense throughout the year, including a $334,000 grant from the U.S. Army Research Office to research automated surveillance systems.

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

Play tackles controversial issues of rape, sex and race

Nashville, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – “Race,” the latest play from Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright David Mamet, makes it debut Nov. 7-10 at Tennessee State University, and will explore the questions of rape, sex and race.

Produced by the Theatre Department at TSU, the play will take place in the Cox-Lewis Theatre of the Performing Arts Center. Admission is free, however, “Race” contains adult language and is recommended for mature audiences.

Mamet’s play, which opened in December 2009 on Broadway and ran for just under 300 performances, tackles America’s most controversial topic in a provocative tale of sex, guilt and bold accusations. The story focuses on three attorneys, two black and one white, who grapple with evidence to defend a white man charged with a crime against a black woman, as well as their own personal feelings about race. The play features ethnic one-liners about guilt and shame that will provide fuel for the post-performance discussions.

“Race” playwright David Mamet is a two-time Oscar nominee, director, essayist, novelist and poet who has been a force in American theater since 1976. His works include “American Buffalo,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Speed-the-Plow” and “Oleanna.” Mamet has also won acclaim for numerous screenplays, including “The Verdict” and “Wag the Dog” (both nominated for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay), as well as “The Postman Always Rings Twice” and “The Untouchables.”

The play premiered in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 2009, featuring renowned actors Kerry Washington, James Spader, David Alan Grier and Richard Thomas. “We decided to bring this shocking play home to our campus to give our community an opportunity to discuss the continual issues of race in the U.S.,” said play director, Marc Payne.

Performances take place Nov. 7-9, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 10, at 3 p.m. Discussions will be held immediately following each performance and reservations should be made in advance by visiting eventbrite.com (Go to “Race” – the play at Tennessee State University, and register for each night with e-mail addresses).

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.